Unmasked Cover
by Dreamyin
Summary: The Kakashi that everyone knew was laid-back, masked, hid an eye and had this crazy gravity-defying hair that one couldn't help but stare at upon meeting him. Now, what better choice could you possibly make when you needed someone to go undercover in Konoha without anyone knowing? That said Jounin didn't like doing so? Well, Tsunade thought, he would just have to deal with it.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: The Kakashi that everyone knew was a laid-back, masked, hid an eye and had this crazy gravity-defying hair that one couldn't help but stare at upon meeting him. Now, what better choice could you possibly make when you needed someone to go undercover in Konoha without anyone knowing? After all, all that Kakashi needed to do, was to unmask himself. That the Jounin didn't like doing so? Well, Tsunda thought, he would just have to deal with it.

Hocus-pocus-quick-idea-that-appeared-in-my-head-and-wouldn't-let-me-rest. Obviously no beta. Also, I don't own Naruto... Nor Kakashi.

**Unmasked Cover**

**Chapter 1 Assignment**

"Yo Hokage-sama."

Following his survival instincts, the newly arrived Shinobi immediately leaned to the right as a pencil was flung his way. His eyes widened ever so slightly as it practically ghosted past his shoulder.

Tsunade-sama did not seem to be in a good mood today, the man decided.

He heard the pencil hit the wall with a loud 'crack' and it was only through practice that he was able to keep himself from shuddering. Instead, his only visible eye quirked into a amused and composed expression.

"I thought I was on time?" He inquired, only half-joking.

"Two hours late Hatake!" Tsunade growled at him, her outstretched hand slammed down her desk. "As usual!"

Kakashi opened his mouth to say something but waited when Tsunade cut him off.

"Sometimes I wonder if I should beat the tardiness out of you in a spar." She threatened but it sounded half-heartedly which showed Kakashi that it was not him she was really angry at – and hopefully that it would be an empty threat.

Which probably saved him an ever unpleasunt hospital stay.

He shrugged nonchalantly and started automatically his newest excuse. "Well there was this-".

"If you know what is good for you Kakashi, you will not finish that dumb excuse." Tsunade warned. "I might choose to beat that out of you as well…"

Kakashi glanced back to the pencil that was still quivering from the force it was thrown and wisely kept his mouth shut. He didn't want to know who had provoked the wrath from the woman earlier today, but he had the feeling that he would find out soon.

"I have an undercover mission for you." The Sannin said. Her change in body language told him that she got down to business, immediately gaining his attention.

He raised his visible eyebrow at the odd request but then nodded.

Kakashi had only been on an undercover mission a few times. They were not the most exciting missions seeing as it was a lot of work to get infiltrate a place without anyone noticing – with little physical confrontation - but Kakashi was sure that he would manage well. It had been very interesting in its own right.

It was just slightly unusual that they asked him. Normally they prefered his skills for other high-ranked mission. "Where to?" He asked.

She met his eye for a moment before she hesitantly told him. "Nowhere. You will go undercover in Konoha itself."

Konoha?

Kakashi remained composed on the outside but inside was another story. The wheels in his head spinning rapidly. It was a very unusual request. Konoha. Was there a big threat? Was Danzou behind this somehow? Why did she request him? He was too well-known in this village. Tsunade leaned her chin against her hand, the corner of her lip twitching upward as she saw the calculating look in his eyes.

"There is no reason for too much concern yet, Hatake. It's only B rank." He visibly relaxed at the reassurance, but the question 'why ask him?' still remained.

_B-rank_.

He decided to risk humoring her.

"Am I being demoted?" He asked and silently wondered if he should put some more effort in appearing on time.

"As much as it would amuse me, not this time." Tsunade smirked slightly, probably thinking along the same lines.

The man hummed before he pointedly shifting his weight to his other leg, earning him a pointed look.

"It's not about your leg injury either, Kakashi."

"It isn't?" Kakashi repeated, not completely believing her.

"No." She scoffed. "Though it does give me the perfect opportunity to force you to let it rest."

"It's fine." The man objected.

"Of course it is, I healed it." Tsunade smirked before flicking her hand in a dismissive manner. "But I'm getting tired of it. So this will be good for you."

She reached out and threw a scroll towards him. He caught it easily and couldn't help but frown upon seeing the orange color – which indeed indicated it to be B ranked mission.

A feeling of dread appeared in his stomach.

The last time the Copy-Cat had been on a B-ranked mission, it had been with Sakura to give her more battle and travel experience. The only reason why he had tagged along was to keep an eye on her. She was the Godaime's apprentice after all, plus he was pretty sure that Naruto would follow up on his threat if something happened to her. So he had kept his promise and kept her safe - while she did all the work.

A fact that she had complained about a lot, which he had quite enjoyed.

He had even got to read his books, which was rare during missions these days – hence most of Sakura's complaining.

So, now that he had to do such a low-ranked mission for his caliber - one that wasn't even for his team's sake… - it made him feel oddly disappointed.

The Hokage's lip twitched as she watched the feared Copy-cat sulk. Proved him right for making her wait about two hours, she thought with a smirk.

Yet, Kakashi had improved a lot from the previous three hours delay a few months ago – probably a way to test her. Unfortunately for Kakashi,Tsunade didn't like to be kept waiting, nor losing. The woman had made that very clear as well. In the end, that one hour and a half hour of tardiness had been their stalemate. She had even already taken his tardiness onto account upon making appointments.

Tell Hatake Kakashi to meet you about two hours earlier than you intent to meet him and he will be on time - or even slightly 'early'.

Everyone was used to planning this way when it came to Kakashi. Well, nearly everyone. That one time that he was suddenly an hour earlier than his usual tardiness hadn't helped to get him completely on time either.

Especially with this incident to back him up, it – unfortunately - gave said shinobi the perfect excuse for sticking to this behavior.

"I wouldn't want to mess up one's schedule." he had casually stated with a shrug, for once not intimidated by the glower that she had send him.

The Sannin sighed at the memory and decided to get back to business.

"Stop sulking Hatake and read the damn thing."

Not wanting to risk actually being demoted by angering her – he had heard enough rumors of one-day demotions filled with loads of D-ranked missions to know that they must hold some truth - Kakashi did as he was told.

His eyes flew over the words, automatically memorizing it before burning the scroll with a quick low-ranked jutsu like he was used to do – it was protocol with high ranked missions.

It wasn't the case with B-ranked missions.

She glared at him and he winched.

"Oops." The jounin said rather lamely and scratched his head, not seeming that sorry at all.

Tsunade sighed. Luckily she had made an extra copy in preparation for exactly that reason.

Kakashi probably suspected this as well.

'Brat' She thought as she gave him a pointed look.

The man's visible eye curved in response.

"Any comments on the information?" She asked tiredly, eager to have a small break after this meeting.

Her secret stash of sake was calling out to her.

"Just that one of the suspects named is most unlikely Hokage-sama." Kakashi commented as he deliberated the value of the information a little longer.

"I knew you would think so." Tsunade nodded. "- and I agree with you, but it is protocol to point out everyone that matches the abilities that the target seems to possess." She reassured him. "Just make sure to check up on him…"

Her face darkened.

"It wouldn't be the first time that a friend strays off the right path." She finished making Kakashi's expression turn gloomy as well.

"I understand."Kakashi answered with a nod.

Her eyes narrowed at him, showing that she was serious about what she was going to tell him.

"More important, this disguised ninja is going around blackmailing citizens and I want him caught. You hear me Hatake? People are losing their trust and I can't have that! I refuse to be mocked like this." The woman glowered and Kakashi silently agreed.

The infiltration during the Chuunin Exams was not that far behind them and there was still some tension left between the two parties. Sure, the civilians knew that it was a ninja world out there and that not everything could be stopped but the ninja still had vowed to protect them. So letting a ninja go about to do as he wished, would not improve the image of the newly instated Hokage.

Kakashi bowed at her in understanding and couldn't help but stand a little more attentive as he straightened again. No matter that this was an 'easy' mission, he didn't like the idea of the Hokage's image being sullied.

A soft smile escapes Tsunade's face as she noticed his slight change in demeanor, but didn't comment on it.

"This is not the first time I send out someone. The previous ninja that was sent was spotted as soon as she used chakra to change her appearance. As you could see from the list, we suspect a good chakra-sensor being involved. The one before her was probably recognized, because the blackmailing stopped as soon as he set food in the area. This might mean a larger network being at hand or that the target is keeping an eye on us." She explained to him.

During her story she stood and turned to the windows and took out a cup of sake that she had hidden underneath a loose wooden beam – knowing that Kakashi already knew that it was there.

She raised an eyebrow at him, as if daring for him to comment on it, but he ignored it. Gulping it down, she stowed it away and continued her story.

"Also, I couldn't find anything that might show a connection to Danzou, but keep an eye out alright? I would love to get some blackmail of my own on that bastard." A feral grin escaped her at the thought.

Kakashi was stuck between frowning at the mention of the organization and grinning at the thought of blackmailing him. He allowed a small nearly invisible smirk instead.

"Hai." He stated, before feeling a sense of dread when he saw Tsunade's expression change to an amused one.

"Now for the fun part…" She mused and the Copy Cat tensed.

"You will go undercover as an older Genin. " Kakashi mentally groaned and barely composed himself, causing her to smile.

"-whom has returned after a long mission from Suna. You were send to Suna directly from a location that you were gathering 'important' information if you need to explain an even longer absence. Seeing as the peace treaty is currently reliable again, you were pulled back. Try not to tell the story unless necessary, but it will be put in "your file"and I will let you read it later. It is based on a deceased Genin from just before the invasion." She paused and the jounin nodded heavily to show that he understood what had probably happened to said genin.

"Also, to make sure that your chakra remains unrecognized, you will use a dampener seal. It will also help you keep up the lower ranked status. " The Hokage said and calmly continued as she watched his thoughtful expression."You're experienced enough to handle the situation without your full capacity and should the need arise, you can always cancel them."

It was true, but that didn't mean that Kakashi enjoyed that annoying tugging sensation that would constantly bother him while it was activated. She knew it is well, so he didn't bother to comment on it.

"Hai." Kakashi repeated warily instead, before he felt a sense of foreboding.

'A chakra sensor… No Henge or genjutsu. So I have no way to mask myself with my chakra and yet she wants me to go undercover in my own home…'

Kakashi twitched.

"Isn't there anyone more capable of thi-" He subtly tried to offer but she cut him off with a smirk.

"Are you saying that you can't handle this Hatake? Not to forget that you are supposed to be great at tracking…"

Damn it, she was provoking him.

They stared at each other for a while, both replaying different possible conversations and their outcomes. Kakashi shoulders tensed slightly, very aware that she would continue until he gave in. After a minute the poor Shinobi sighed in defeat and she raised an amused eyebrow at him.

"Is something wrong brat?" She sounded suspiciously amused.

"It's not that difficult for you to change your appearance." Seeing her wicked amusement, the Jounin knew that his suspicions had been right.

He let part of his composure fall way and let out a groan and stared at the ceiling in silent wonder. Why people were always so obsessed with –

"You just have to take off that mask of yours." She said with a far too delighted tone for Kakashi's liking.

-unmasking him?

~~~ end chapter ~~~

At least a few chapters will eventually be added, but how many and when... I'm not sure yet.

Please, don't forget to fave or/and review!

Seeing as I obviously don't get paid for this - which would have been awesome - those acts of acknowlegdement is what mostly keeps me motivated to take the effort to write down the ideas thar my overactive imagination produce in the very little free time that I currently have.

I want to share this with you so I would appreciate if you could share some of your thought with me.

Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

Summary: The Kakashi that everyone knew was a laid-back, masked, hid an eye and had this crazy gravity-defying hair that one couldn't help but stare at upon meeting him. Now, what better choice could you possibly make when you needed someone to go undercover in Konoha without anyone knowing? After all, all that Kakashi needed to do, was to unmask himself. That the Jounin didn't like doing so? Well, Tsunda thought, he would just have to deal with it.

Hocus-pocus-quick-idea-that-appeared-in-my-head-and-wouldn't-let-me-rest. Obviously no beta. Also, I don't own Naruto... Nor Kakashi.

Tweaked the title a bit to make it sound more... odd. Also thanks for the support! Please continue to enjoy!

**Unmasked Cover**

**Chapter 2 Transformation**

Today Hatake Kakashi had been appointed a fake mission that would last the duration of his undercover assignment. It was an A-rank that had sounded _much_ better than his current B-ranked one. The smug look that Tsunade had given him while reading out the fake assignment in the presence of a couple of other shinobi made Kakashi wonder if she was making the fake mission sound more attractive than it was. If so, he wondered what he had done to irritate her.

He had only been ten minutes later than normal – which was about an hour later than he had been told to be there.

"Don't let me actually consider demoting you Kakashi." She said as he left, making him decide that, yes, he should make sure to be five minutes earlier next time.

"What would you do without me?" He had answered charmingly as he left – a random scroll barely grazed his hair as he ducked out of the window.

"Brat!"

They both knew that his cheekiness was his subtle form of revenge for forcing him to unmask himself – as she was somewhat using the situation to her advantage.

So towards his bare home Kakashi went, going as far as packing his usual equipment for the fake mission.

The Jounin had even gone as far as to say goodbye to Sakura-chan, who had even given him a hug to wish him well. Listening to a short rant about being careful with his leg – seriously, he hadn't been hurt there that much right? - made him feel slightly guilty that she would have to worry about him. After, he had also gone through the whole process of making a show of checking out at the main gate – the usual wishes being thrown his way once more – and then run for a few miles.

It felt good to stretch his legs.

He glanced at the sky to estimate the time and made up his mind. His hands ran through the motions without any difficulty before slamming them onto the ground. A puff of smoke later, his familiar companion appeared before him.

"Did you miss petting my fur that much?" Pakkun greeted him dryly and Kakashi couldn't help but smile humorously at the dog.

"Who can resist anything that soft?" He humored the little dog as he scratched him behind the ears – something he rarely did out in the open.

Pakkun growled in appreciation but narrowed his eyes nonetheless.

"What's the mission?" He asked somewhat warily, hoping that this was not one of those S-ranked missions that might get Kakashi killed. It wasn't the first time that Kakashi summoned him for a little comfort before risking his life… again.

The dog tensed as the man let out a deep sigh and retracted his hand. Was it that bad? – the dog worried - Maybe it was an SS-ranked missi-

"It's a B-rank." The man grumbled, patting the dog's head to sooth his worries.

The dog slumped forward in relief before it frowned as he realised what exactly had been said.

Pakkun gave the shinobi a pointed look.

"Have you been demoted for running late again?"

Kakashi let out an amused chuckle. "My thoughts exactly, but no I-"

Meanwhile, Pakkun had circled the man searchingly. As he sat back down, he interrupted him.

"It this about that leg you keep injuring?"

The Jounin sighed. "She said it wasn't. No she needs me to go undercover."

"…"

Kakashi smiled somewhat weakly at the look that he received form the dog.

"It's ok Pakkun…"

"She's unmasking you, isn't she?"

"…"

"She is, isn't she?"

"Well…"

"The last time you did that it _didn't_ go _well_…"

The man shrugged absently. "That's a long time ago."

Pakkun dismissed Kakashi's argument with a similar gesture but decided to change the subject for the moment.

"Where are you going?"

"Home."

"_Konoha_?" Pakkun asked, a tone of incredibility in his voice.

He didn't reply and the dog sighed.

"A mission is a mission, I know that. Still, you tend to hold onto your past than can be called healthy, Kakashi. We know that. Be careful."

The man tensed and seemed to rebuke Pakkun's comment but in the end he didn't. Instead, he crouched down next to the dog and started petting him again.

Pakkun didn't comment and let him be. Allowing him a moment of peace and meanwhile enjoying his presence and attention.

After a while the Shinobi stood up again – composed and well.

"Thanks Pakkun."

"Any time Kakashi. How about a run with the rest of the guys? They have been eager to stretch their legs."

Kakashi nodded in agreement and moved to summon the rest of his allies. After greeting every one of them properly and checking up on their health, he sprinted off without warning. The group followed him and caught up. Soon everyone had found a good rhythm and they continued to move as one.

For a moment, Kakashi's stirring memories were soothed and a small smile quirked his lips.

After deciding that he had put enough distance between him and the city, Kakashi bid his allies farewell and searched for a good hiding spot – he already had had a few options in his mind. Crouching down, he maneuvered himself into the hollow tree. Covering the entry with a few plants, the Shinobi took out two scrolls that was used during the Chuunin exams, opened them and put them on the floor. Crouching over the paper, he activated it with his blood. The kanji and swirls glowed for a moment, before returning to their original black color.

Ready for transportation, Kakashi stepped onto the paper, trying not to get it dirty. He stood there for a while and waited.

And waited.

It took longer than he had expected, causing him to haunch his shoulders before putting his hands in his pockets.

He rolled his eyes.

'Is she paying me back for letting her wait the whole ti-?' The Jounin started to wonder before his thought was cut off by a familiar tugging at his chakra core and-

He was in one of the check-up rooms, which seemed to be sealed off as expected. His chakra automatically stuck him to the ground, giving the impression that the trip hadn't made him feel like puking at all – while in reality it actually did. He quickly shook his head, removing the fuzziness that remained.

"Long time no see, Hatake." Tsunade greeted him with some amusement.

"You look as young as ever, Hokage-sama." Kakashi dared to tease her nonchalantly and dodged a playful swat in his direction.

"Tch Brat. Flattering me won't change my mind."

"Isn't there any way that I can-"

"No."

"But it is not like-"

"No"

"Why wouldn't-?"

"Shut up brat. You are known for its hiding that face of yours."

"Still…" The jounin sighed and quickly tilted his head to dodge the swipe.

"Stop acting like a child."

Kakashi pouted at her and shrugged. Keeping his hands in his pockets, he looked like a grumpy teenager, causing Tsunade to roll her eyes at him. She knew he was simply fooling around.

"Let's get started Hatake. Chakra first."

With a sigh, the now serious Jounin shook off his vest, followed by his long-sleeved shirt and the top underneath. He ignored the scars that were now visible on his body, but he felt Tsunade check them automatically as she waited for him to get ready for the process.

He sat down on the bed, stubbornly keeping on his mask, causing the woman in front of him to shake her head.

"I have seen you mask-less countless of times Kakashi. No need for you to be shy." She told him, less reluctant to banter now that she didn't need to play Hokage behind her desk.

"I'm just relishing the moment." He drawled in reply, holding out his right arm for her.

"It's less painful to pull out a kunai quickly than slowly…"

"Just humor me."

She snorted, but didn't comment and stepped closer, tools in hand.

As soon as everything was stalled out, the Sannin started the complex process of putting chakra-depressor seal on the inner side of his arm. In contrast to the chakra-seals that were used to T&I, his chakra still needed to be able to freely flow in his body. Neither of them wanted any of those nasty side-effects of having your chakra frozen like that. Plus, this seal allowed him to release it himself, which the Jounin appreciated very much.

"I will activate it now." Tsunade warned him, going through a few hand seals.

Kakashi forced himself to relax as she active the seal on the inside his right lower arm. He gritted his teeth as his chakra protested – which was the reason why it was so dangerous to do it yourself.

After a minute, the seal had been activated and his arm felt numb. That would fade away in time though.

"Great." The slug Sannin nodded and then studied him, sensing his chakra.

"The depression helps, but there is still some familiarity to your chakra should people know you well." She told him and walked over to the desk in the room. "Luckily I already thought that would happen. So here – " He caught the silver pendent that she threw him – "that will mask your chakra just a little bit extra. Put some chakra into it and it will active."

He did and felt the pendant – which looked somewhat like a medallion – warm up. Different chakra signatures seemed to blend with his current nearly neutral one and created a unrecognizable signature. Nodding, he drew the cord over his neck and let it drop to his bare chest.

Tsunade nodded in approval.

"Now…" The medic started and actually started to grin somewhat sadistically. "Normally I don't really care about giving people make-overs but you are an exception of that rule. "

"I feel honored." He drawled and she chuckled rather mischievously.

"Of course you are. Now go change and then take off that security blanket of yours, Shizune will come by to take care of your hair."

He grumbled slightly at her use of words – 'security blanket'… Tsk.- but couldn't deny it.

"Isn't there any way that I can-" He tried again.

"No. You are _known_ for its hiding that face of yours." She replied again.

He had expected that answer but he couldn't help but try.

"Don't make me turn it into an order Hatake." She told him when he opened his mouth again, which actually indirectly turned her demand in an order anyway.

Grunting, Kakashi took the clothes that the woman handed to him. It was an completely different outfit than he usually wore, but he hadn't expected otherwise, seeing as that was the whole point.

The Jounin changed out of his dark pants and stepped into the brown light-weight pants that a bit more baggy in contrast, while Tsunade leaned against the desk to give him some space.

"You haven't done many undercover missions have you?" The medic spoke up, flipping through one of his many files for whatever reason.

"Not many. Sandaime-sama wanted me to do more seeing as they were quite successful, but my skills were preferred elsewhere." He answered bluntly but Tsunade knew that he wasn't one to brag.

"He mentioned that to me once."Tsunade nodded. "It can't help but make me wonder what more you are actually hiding underneath that mask of yours." She bluntly told him.

"It makes me wonder how much the famous female Sannin really needs to drink before she gets slightly drunk." Kakashi coolly stated in return, though not denying her statement.

Their eyes met, both knowing fully well that even in the safety within the villages many ninja coped by playing a part; a role they were comfortable in. It were only the people close enough that would see through it.

"Heh." The Sannin chuckled, not denying her superb ability to filter any alcohol out of her system either.

They fell silent as Kakashi wrapped the endings in bandages as was common among the ranks.

"Still, I am looking forward to this famous transition of personality of yours." She said somewhat smugly. "Already got a character in mind?"

"Hai." Kakashi replied and accepted the brown tank top that the medic handed him. "You will have to forgive my behavior at some moments. I might have to act to the extreme at first." He said, actually looking somewhat awkwardly.

Tsunade looked at him curiously. It was well-known that Kakashi could go to the extremes if he felt that it was necessary. Undercover missions were more difficult for people because they had to 'become' the character that they had developed. It was not something everyone could do either. Some ninja were just very good at acting, but even they could eventually be found out. It could only took one slip to be exposed.

Kakashi's reports had been very promising though, as had the Sandaime's comments, so Tsunade was not worried.

If anything - as she just commented - she suspected that Kakashi had slowly stuck to one of the characters that he had developed, having been comfortable in the mindset and unable to shake it off completely. If she remembered correctly, it had been one close after his retirement from the ANBU forces. Maybe that's why the Sandaime had shifted his skills elsewhere.

Still, she believed that this assignment would force Kakashi to show aspect that he would normally never show as the Copy-Cat.

In a way, it would be a little bit of freedom for the Jounin.

Though he probably wouldn't agree with her.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ end chapter ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Happy (belated) Easter! Don't forget to please show some support – for the poor Kakashi – and review!


	3. Chapter 3

Summary: The Kakashi that everyone knew was a laid-back, masked, hid his left eye and had this crazy gravity-defying hair that one couldn't help but stare at upon meeting him. Now, what better choice could you possibly come up with when you needed someone to go undercover in Konoha without anyone knowing? After all, all that Kakashi needed to do, was to unmask himself. That he didn't like doing so? Well, Tsunda thought, he would just have to deal with it.

The hocus-pocus Kakashi unmasked idea still hasn't left my brain quite yet. So I hope people can enjoy this for a while longer.

**Unmasked Cover**

**Chapter 3: Change**

'This change might be good for you.' Tsunade told him as she waited.

Kakashi gave the Hokage a searching look as she continued to openly study him, but didn't comment. Maybe he was already suspecting these thoughts from her. If he did, he didn't voice it and Tsunade didn't ask.

"Why should I forgive your behavior?" She asked him, curious.

"I will probably be making a fool of myself, I am afraid." The Jounin shared with a deep sigh, as he took one of the larger black sweatbands to put on his upper arms, to hide the tattoo that was there. Even though he was not planning to take off his jacket and he mentally decided to switch over to a white t-shirt if necessary.

Tsunade hummed, feeling only more intrigued by his comment.

There was a brief knock on the door and then Shizune quickly slipped inside, closing the door behind her.

"Hello Kakashi." She greeted the man with a smile as she put down his new identity papers and a small bag with contact lenses.

He nodded at her before pulling the dark fishnet shirt over his head. He had never been particularly fond of those shirts, but at least he had the brown tank top underneath, under which he hid the pendant Tsunade had given him. He glanced towards the dull brown jacket that should finish the outfit. He would put that on later.

Reluctantly he took the contact lenses that were made for him.

He despised these contact lenses.

Upside, they were extra small as to show no edge that would alert people of their presence. Downside, they itched awfully and a lot more than the normal ones.

With a defeated sigh the shinobi walked towards the small sink in the corner and took off his headband. He tried it to his neck, loose enough to breath, but tight enough not to move too much.

There.

He carefully took out the lens that was meant for his normal right eye and put it in, blinking slightly as it itched and burned before it settled down. The contact lenses were brown colored, he noted. Opening the next container, he knew that this one was different. In contrast to the other lens this one was actually a cover - completely blocking any sight like a blindfold – at least from his point of view. Those looking at him very carefully would see a greyish color. It make people wonder whether he was blind, distracting ideas of him wearing a fake contact lens.

Staring at himself in the mirror, it was odd so see Obito's eye go subtly blind. It looked very realistic, he admitted, making his skin crawl. Maybe a little too much for his liking, but it did its job. The Jounin checked it by closing his right eye, to make sure that the Sharingan didn't drain any chakra.

It didn't.

It was perfect.

The itching though…

"What about the scar?" He informed, practically forcing his mind elsewhere. "I would prefer if you wouldn't heal it."

"I know." Tsunade stated pointedly. "Shizune will help you with some paste-like plaster. As for your hair, we will have to get it down. We got some ultra-strong gel, especially for you."

"I will be impressed if you get it down at all." He drawled, still looking at himself in the mirror and Tsunade suddenly noticed that his pitch was changing. "It is pretty stubborn." He continued and again his voice went a pitch slightly higher.

"That's probably not the only thing about you that is difficult to change." She snorted.

Kakashi pointedly ignored the jab towards his bad habbits.

Meanwhile, Shizune walked towards him, plasters in hand and he turned so that she could apply them properly. He twitched slightly as she touched his face. Once she finished, he inspected her work in the mirror.

"It will hold for about two weeks. If you need to replace them you can come to me or-" The woman started.

"I will first try to figure it out myself, but otherwise I would love to accept your offer." He smiled at her and she blinked at his odd behaviour. She then noticed that it wasn't his usual 'closing-one-eye-contently-or-amusedly-smile'. He was actually looking at her, rather intently at that.

"I'm sure you will." She muttered somewhat doubtfully, quickly breaking eye contact.

"I'm glad that you trust me so much." He told her, seemingly having stabilized his pitch but it surprisingly had a pleasant hum to it. He spoke with more air than usual and his eyes turned a lot more attentive towards her presence.

Shizune coughed slightly and couldn't help but smile in amusement. She wasn't swooned by him, but she couldn't help but admit that it flattered her. "You are doing well." She told him, not caring to hide the slight blush on her cheek.

Tsunade smirked, she could slowly see where the Jounin was going with his act and she had to agree that it could work out pretty well.

"Well, now let's tame that hair of yours." Shizune said, channeling chakra into her hands.

Kakashi watched the action warily.

"My hair is not _that_ bad right?" He feebly protested, which was pointedly ignored.

On hindsight, the fact that he didn't get any reassurement - and needed it anyway - shouldn't have been very reassuring on its own.

* * *

After a long experiment with strong wax – which failed horribly – they eventually used an informal medical jutsu. Tsunade had stepped in and as two medics took a step back they held their breath, watching his hair with suspense.

It made Kakashi feel a bit awkward.

Especially when the two women released their breath in relief and started to congratulate the other for the successful 'operation'.

Kakashi decided that had something else to add to his list of 'weird things happening to me'.

After a period of waiting to see if his hair really stayed down, Kakashi was allowed to look into the mirror once it did. He flicked his head at the itch on his forehead, which was caused by the hair falling mostly over his left eye. The spikiness was mostly gone and the few places that it was there, it was pointed downwards.

It somewhat looked like it would have should his hair been wet, even though it wasn't at the moment. He shook his head in order to test it and grumbled slightly when he needed to rearrange his hair. It seemed it didn't act much like his previous hairstyle at all – in the mirror he saw the women behind him grin at the accomplishment. The new light shade of light brown dye that they added to it, finished the transformation.

"Mission accomplished"

Tsunade patted Shizune on the shoulder, earning a beam in reply and then pointed Kakashi to another larger mirror in the other corner of the room. She had already caught his preference of seeing himself 'change into another person.'

"Listen Kakashi, while the mission has to come first, there will be moments that there is nothing you can do but wait, so make sure to enjoy yourself in those moments alright?"

"Hai." He stated half-heartedly, back to his usual voice now that she had addressed him. The Sannin ignored the unconvinced tone and smiled.

"Good, now get me that damn troublemaker and save our reputation and all that." She cheered him on just as half-heartedly. "I know it will be very hard for you seeing as you are an ordinary Genin…" – Kakashi's expression turned sour at the reminder– "…specialized in information gathering, but you should be able to keep yourself out of trouble."

Kakashi nodded anyway and finally moved his hand to his mask. It was a reluctant but steady movement and as he pulled it over his head – careful with his hair as he did. His hand clenched slightly as he breathed in and out, causing Tsunade's eyes to soften slightly.

Without warning, Kakashi relaxed his hands and opened eyes. The mask hit on the ground and he observed himself in the mirror for a long time.

The two woman openly studied him as he circled the room a couple of times, seemingly trying to change his stroll, before returning to the mirror.

The Hokage didn't like to admit it, but the way he was already carrying himself differently showed her that recognizing him without knowing that it was him would be difficult.

He might not look _completely_ different, but probably would be.

Judging from her assistant's expression – whom had seen Kakashi without his mask a few times – seemed to agree. Tsunade let him stare at himself as long as he needed, but eventually waved Shizune off with a smile.

Kakashi took another look in the mirror – trying to push away the somber memories of his father. Failing, he quickly walked away and turned back around.

After another ten minutes, the Shinobi moved away from the mirror silently and walked towards the scrolls that would take him back to his hiding spot outside the city. Giving her a quick bow, he put on his brown jacket given to him before he crossed the scrolls and stood on them. He accepted the large unfamilair bag that he was given and settled it on his shoulder. He would make sure the accidently drop it a few times to make it more dirty.

"I will see you in two days, Kimura Takashi…" The Sannin told the 'Takashi' and Kakashi mentally shook his head in amusement at the play of name. Not that he had expected anything different from Tsunade. She enjoyed this way too much.

"Hai Hokage-sama."

With a poof of smoke, he was gone.

* * *

The shinobi ran at the edge of the desert towards the large forest that he saw in front of him. His eyes lightened up at the sight and his pace seemed to speed up lightly. It had been such a long time since he had seen those trees!

His hand stretched out as the first tree was within his reach and he nearly whacked his face against the wood in his reckless enthusiasm. In the end, he tackled the tree in a one-sided hug and promptly decided to take a break. He tried to catch his breath as he leaned his cheek against the rough wood.

"Oh wooden tree, sign of water and fertile ground, how much I have missed you!" He grumbled before climbing into the praised tree and took off his sandal.

A stream of sand fell down before it was carried away by the wind.

He glared at it and repeated the process with his other sandal. He then ruffled his hair, which released a lot of sand as well from that one time that he had lost his footing. The incident hadn't been his fault of course – it had been the heap of sand its fault, or the heat, or the lack of water - but he was still stuck with the result that the sand had gotten _everywhere_.

Takashi shuddered. How he yearned for a proper shower.

A few more hours of running and he wouldn't see any sand for a _long_ time! The idea seemed like a blessing. He felt like the dirt and the sand was all over him. If it were up to him, he didn't want to see any heap of sand for a couple of months.

He stood and pulled the straps of his dirty and sandy bag tighter as he turned towards the direction of Konoha. His eyes glanced over the branches that formed the path that he could travel.

It had been quite a while since he had travelled through trees.

He shrugged and jumped forward, grinning as his feet touched the next branch safely. He repeated the process a few times and got back into the rhythm.

He only slipped once and whacked his bag against the ground to soften his fall – which had been a rather genius move on his part should it not have caused one of his water bottled to open up. Of course this incident had been because of an rather unstable branch that he had missed because of his lack of sleep, but he wouldn't let that bother him.

Instead, he doubled his pace and sped towards Konoha.

He didn't want to run late after all.

For some odd reason, the odd ironic thought made Takashi smirk.

_Heh._

_~~~ End Chapter ~~~_

So what do you guys expect to happen? Any challenges for me to spice things up? - for my sanity's sake though: no guarantees of it happening.


	4. Chapter 4

Summary: The Kakashi that everyone knew was a laid-back, masked, hid his left eye and had this crazy gravity-defying hair that one couldn't help but stare at upon meeting him. Now, what better choice could you possibly come up with when you needed someone to go undercover in Konoha without anyone knowing? After all, all that Kakashi needed to do, was to unmask himself. That he didn't like doing so? Well, Tsunda thought, he would just have to deal with it.

I don't own Naruto nor Kakashi. I do own this little hocus-pocus-idea that still floats in my head. It is still un-betad. I'm not a native speaker, so please bear with me.

Now comes the fun part- and the risky part as well, seeing as it will set the tone for the uncover act. Hopefully you guys won't be too disappointed.

**Chapter 4 Entry**

"Kiruma Takashi?" The Chuunin inquired as he looked at the identity papers in his hands, bearing the Hokage's seal.

The name Takashi was somewhat familiar for some reason.

The chuunin glanced towards the ruffled man in front of him – clothes were dirty and bits of sand and dried sweat were still stuck in the shinobi's hair, the bag looked like it had seen better times and there was a bruise on the man's face. It was the man's expression that made the guard blink though.

The man took a dramatic large step from the dirt onto the pavement of Konoha, after which he practically beamed with joy and relief.

The guard watched with slight amusement as the shinobi took a deep breath, stretched and patted his chest. The guards were familiar with a great variation of different antics made by ninja whom were happy to have reached home – alive – and thus let him be until he turned his attention to them.

The first second he stared them without immediate recognition, before a thoughtful look appeared on his face. The man narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized their faces for a few seconds before his face lit up in recognition.

"Ah hello, long time no see you guys. You haven't changed one bit, except for the getting-older-part of course. Damn it feels good to be back." Takashi greeted the familiar guards with friendly smile.

Said guards looked at him questioningly.

Hagane Kotetsu studied him curiously, trying to figure out where the name reminded him off – he couldn't.

"Do I know you?" Kamizuki Izumo asked somewhat suspiciously.

The man placed a hand on his chest in a dramatic gesture. "You don't recognize me? That hurts… but I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

He waved their questioning stares away in a dismissive manner.

"It's from a long time ago. I belong to that failed class beneath yours at the Genin Exam." The genin admitted with a big annoyed sigh, scratching his cheek. "Had to wait _two whole years_ before I finally made it. I can't help but feel jealous of you making Chuunin." He said crossing his arms before blowing his hair away from his eyes.

"Then again, you were always great in those Taijutsu practices, especially working together."

The two friends looked at each other unimpressed. That knowledge was not very new to anyone.

'He's weird.' Kotetsu signed. Izumo was about to contradict him but then the genin suddenly laughed - Kotetsu raised an eyebrow at his friend, asking him to contradict him again. Izumo just rolled his eyes.

"Sorry I just suddenly remember. I mean…that one morning practice at the Academy in June. I snuck out sometimes and watched the trainings of the higher classes. The position that the two of you ended up in was very amusing." The stranger grinned, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye.

"You immediately had a few secret fan girls after. Are they still keeping an eye on you? Did Nanako finally let you go?"

That was a story that very few knew about.

_Maybe_ he really was an old classmate of sorts?

The two guard glanced at each other somewhat unsure – yet suspicious as well. They hadn't really paid much attention to their failed classmates back then. Yet this one seemed to at least know stuff that outsiders would be less likely to know.

_Plus_, he had the Hokage's seal and was named on the list. Even if he wasn't their old classmate, maybe he had been given the information?

"Ah, it's at least nice to see that you have made Genin anyway." Izumo said slowly, narrowing his eyes at him before checking the Hokage's seal once more.

Takashi didn't seem to be concerned with their suspicion.

"Ha! I'm not sure about that. Suna was pretty boring. Even guarding seems less annoying than information gathering, but it couldn't be helped. Information won't gather itself after all." He boasted humorously as he puffed his chest out.

The two blinked at him and froze.

Izumo _swore_ that he had seen the start of some kind of genjutsu – which was horribly familiar because of two certain green-clad men who unfortunately did that _every time_ that they returned to Konoha - on the background before it had _abruptly_ disappeared.

Izumo blinked again but there was still nothing. He looked at his friend simply got a shrug.

Maybe the Green Beast of Konoha and his student-clone were getting to them, they silently wondered.

For some reason, Takashi seemed quite shaken as well. "I am just not made for this stuff." The man said rather convincingly and patted his head rather roughly– as if he was hurting himself on purpose – before he quickly continued.

"Not to mention the heat and that horrible sand!" Takashi ruffled his hair and then glared at the sand in his hand in emphasis.

"I can't wait to have a shower. It seems to come from _everywhere_."

He shook a leg in emphasis and more sand leaked out.

Kotetsu nodded somewhat sympathetically as he repressed a smirk, while Izumo decided that the man's antics might be even more tiring and disturbing than his friend's.

"Well, I guess you will have to wait a little while to get rid of the sand _there_. Kimura-san." Kotetsu grinned as he shot the man a pointed look, ignoring the way that his friend shook his head at the comment.

Izumo decided that he had had enough.

"Tsunade-sama is waiting for you. I'm sure you can find the way."

At the mention of the Hokage's name the genin straightened and seemed to forget about his unfortunate situation.

"Of course." He nodded with such a serious expression that Izumo felt like he was performing an act.

Actually, the shinobi in front of him was very theatrical.

" Do you have any clue as how to make a good impression though? I heard she has quite an attitude?" Takashi grinned jokingly – but both of them spotted some nervousness in his eyes – after which Izumo concluded that the shinobi actually needed to practice his acting after all.

"I haven't exactly had the pleasure to meet her yet, seeing as…" His face saddened. "Hokage-sama's death."

The two guards nodded soberly at him. "Welll… Tsunade-sama is blunt and tempered, but she is a good Hokage."

The man sighed in relief. "Thanks guys, I might see you around!" With a quick wave and a smile the man walked away, a nearly slight bounce in his step as he returned to the village he had left for such a long time.

"Your pass." Izumo drawled and scoffed lightly as the man came jogging back with a nonchalant "I knew I was forgetting something. It has been a long trip you know." and walked away as if it never happened.

"Good luck." The two echoed and quickly filed away the paperwork.

When they looked up again, the man was already out of sight.

They both hummed thoughtfully.

"He seemed familiar somehow and it's not because his hair is a bit like yours…" Kotetsu grinned as he saw the exasperated expression from his friend and continued. "…but I can't remember him from our Academy days… Did you recogni-" he started to ask, but Izumo cut him off.

"No. But seeing as the Hokage herself warned us for his arrival, it's sometimes best not to ask too many questions." Izumo told him with a pointed look.

"But what if he really was our classmate?"

"I don't care."

"I say that we go search for him later on." His friend stated with a grin, earning a suffering sigh from the other.

"You never learn."

"What would be the fun of that?"

"We can't meddle with stuff like that."

"You can be so boring."

"You can be so annoying."

"I know you love me anyway."

"Don't put words in my mouth!"

"Aw I love you as well."

Kotetsu laughed as he barely dodge a whack from his friend.

"Hokage-sama? Kiruma Takashi is here to see you." Shizune informed Tsunade somewhat awkwardly as she poked her head around the door. Tsunade took in the woman's red cheeks and narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. Seeing as she was pretty sure that her pupil didn't drink on the job, there could only be one reason why she was so red.

Had he actually arrived? Already?

"It's a miracle." She breathed, looking at the clock on the wall.

Shizune looked at the clock as well and her color drained away. "He's on time."

"…" Both woman let out a deep sigh.

"I knew that his tardiness was an excuse." Tsunade grumbled as she shot Shizune a irked look.

"Well… at least he will be on time for a while." The younger woman tried to cheer her mentor up, who nodded thoughtfully.

"Judging from your face earlier, that isn't his only charming characteristic?" Tsunade inquired with amusement causing her assistant to blush.

"Well… You will see."

"I already saw it…" The Sannin smirked as her friend looked somewhat sheepishly at her. "So… It seems that Takashi has his way with his words hasn't he?"

"Hai Tsunade-sama, I think that even you will be surprised." She said, causing the woman to chuckle. "No, I'm really pretty sure. I'm still shocked myself. Shall I let him in?" Her assistant asked her, now grinning in excitement of seeing the reaction of her mentor.

"Sure. Just let me finish this damn sentence." Tsunade agreed and quickly did so.

A few seconds later the door opened and Takashi strolled in. She had helped the man change appearance, but yet… he now really had _changed_.

His appearance was ruffled, dirty and weary. Having already seen his disguise before, she focused on the tiny details that might give him away and was satisfied with what she was. He had been very exhaustive it seemed. She couldn't help but wonder what he had done with the travel bag that she had given him. It looked like a worn out punching bag. Also, being a medic, she had immediately spotted the bruise on his face and the cut on his hands.

What the hell had he done these last days?

The Kakashi-like attitude that she couldn't help but expect was completely absent. The man practically bounced – and stomped - into the room with fresh steps. He lacked any Jounin or even ANBU grace in his steps like Kakashi usually walked with. It was definitely a characteristic of Genin and civilians to walk like that and he impressed her by doing so. She wasn't even sure if she could keep that up.

He politely stopped a few steps from the desk, which was a formality that had Kakashi rarely followed – Tsunade had actually told him to let go as well. Her eyes glanced up to his face and mentally grinned at the difference. His eye looked at her with a cheerful and mischievous expression and he was _grinning _at her. It slightly reminded her of her old perverted teammate.

A nervous twitch escaped him as she narrowed her eyes thoughtfully – seeing as he had 'never' met her before he must be somewhat nervous indeed - but he seemed oblivious to it.

This was so interesting!

"Hello Hokage-sama. I would like to have the honor to introduce myself." He said with the pleasant voice that she had heard him practice before and then he made a courteous bow.

"Kiruma Takashi, at your service. Hokage-sama."

Shizune was _right_. She _was_ surprised. Damn it.

It was probably partly through experience was she able to keep her composure. "I see, thank you. Welcome home."

"Thank you Hokage-sama!" He returned brightly, nodding his head grandly and then looked at her with a mischievous expression that made her immediately suspicious.

"Please hand in your 'mission report'." She stated warily as she followed the usual procedure. She held up her hand so that he could throw it at her, but he already placed it on her desk.

He had easily passed her test. The Sandaime had been right. Kakashi was very thorough.

She peeked into the scroll and was amused to see a quick scribble from an actual mission-like report. Though the handwriting was so horrible that she could barely read it– his own was usually very neat - so she gave him a pointed look and he innocently blinked in reply.

"You need to improve your writing." She feebly pointed out.

"Ah, I have heard that before." He nodded at her in acceptance. "I will do my best." He said with a grin and bumped his fist against his chest.

It reminded her of Guy, causing Tsunade to freeze for a moment, afraid to see some kind of illusion appear behind him.

If Kakashi of all people would start willingly imitate Guy of all people, then something must have gone wrong.

Had he accidently put an genjutsu on himself with his Sharingan?

Luckily, nothing happened.

Shaking her head, the Sannin decided to get him on the streets as soon as possible. She need a break with some sake. So the medic quickly picked up his house keys and show them to him.

"These are the keys to your apartment. Go explore it and get some sleep." She said pointedly and impatiently threw them at him.

She watched as _Takashi's_ hand snapped out – missed – and froze in the air. The Genin looked over his shoulder and found his keys stuck in the wall next to a familiar and already existing crack in the wall.

Unable to keep her composure any longer, the woman snorted.

He left no stone unturned, did he?

"…"

The Sannin leaned her head against her hand in amusement as Takashi backed up and subtly tried to pry the keys out of the wall with a "You caught me by surprise Hokage-sama. I must be more tired than I thought."

"I guess that you caught me by surprise as well." She muttered under her breath and pointed to the door. "Anyway, as soon as you get those keys out, you are dismissed."

Takashi nodded dramatically and was about to turn around when he subtly froze. Tsunade watched with interest when his eyes turned less attentive before they twinkled. _Kakashi_ must have noticed something, she realized and tried to sense whatever it was had caught his attention.

He took a step back from the keys, leaving them in the wall.

"If I may be so free to speak freely before I leave?" Takashi asked with a playful smirk that would have had loads of woman swoon upon first glance. She grinned at the charming attitude, as it must have been the reason for Shizune's slightly red face earlier. Curious to what he was planning, she signed for him to continue.

His eyes turned even more attentive to her form and she realized that while in fact Kakashi was simply taking in her complete appearance, it came across as something more flattering.

"I can assure you that the rumors don't lie." He told her with smirk and if there hadn't been such difference in rank, she was pretty sure he would try to make her swoon.

It was a nice try.

"What rumors?" She drawled to play along, her head still resting on her palm.

"That you look incredibly young and beautiful." He proclaimed making Tsunade raise an eyebrow in slight surprise.

A small smirk escaped her lips when she noticed what Kakashi had noticed. _Very_ smart. The man spotted her smirk and suddenly seemed a little reluctant. Still, seeing as he had already started, he proceeded anyway.

"I mean, the moment I laid my eyes on you Hokage-sama, I would have never though you could be so old." He nodded foolishly, the flash of reluctance that she had spotted earlier was now nowhere in sight.

Tsunade's eyebrow lowered and twitched dangerously.

That _brat_.

He wouldn't dare.

"Never would I have imagined to see so few wrinkles on someone who is actually fift-"

The poor 'Genin' was never able to finish that sentence.

**~ End Chapter ~**

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